Lady&#39;s bloomers.



E. W. DECKER & A. SCOTT.

LADYS BLOOMERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. H. 1917.

Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

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56 ATTORNEY. I

' TAEs AT ELLEN W. DECKER, OF YORK, AND ARTHUR SCOTT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS T0 JULIUS KAYSER & 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LADYS IBLQOMERS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Spt. 3, 1918.

Application filed September 11, 1917. Serial No. 190,761.

borough of Brooklvn. county of Kings, city an State of New York, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Ladies.

Bloomers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. i

This invention has for itsobject an improvement in ladies high grade bloomers whereby they are rendered more comfortable to the wearer and more durable and serviceable in use. Bloomers are used by women largely during athletic, gymnastic or similar strenuous activities in which, owing to the excessive bodily movements and un usual positions assumed, abnormal strains are brought upon the crotch section of the garment. owing to the lateral stretching of the limbs'of the wearer, which frequently result in ripping the scam of the inset crotch sections as they have heretofore been made, or rupture of the fabric of the inset, or of the garment itself adjoining the inset. This is peculiarly aptto occur because such violent exercises usually take place during thewarm weather when the body perspiration at the waist and hip sections of the wearer apt to cause the bloomers to cling more or less to the body, thus preventing slipping of the garment which might relieve the strains.

Heretofore so called union suits and garments of a similar character supported from the shoulders of the wearer have been provided with a crotch insert so made as to relieve the wearer of annoying pressure and the garment from undue strains in the event that the "wearer should excessively stoop over. or in the instance of unusually stout people,

even while sitting down, but in order to ac.- complish this result the elasticity of the inset. piece has always been in vertical, not

horizontal or lateral lines, since the strain due to stooping or sitting is exerted vertically only.

The purpose of this invention is diametrically opposed to that just described for a series of reasons: First, the garment we contemplate is the well known ladies bloomer,

which is non-rigidly supported from the waist of the wearer and not from the shoulders. Consequently, the insert piece is made of such material and in such a manner that its elasticity is in horizontal, not vertical direction. Second, the insert is made of such shape that the mere act of separating the limbs of the wearer will, without producing any strain whatever upon the insert, afford additional material for such separation. Third, should such separation continue beyond the point stated, as for instance, when the wearer is squatting or there is otherwise extraordinary separation of the limbs, then stantially identical therewith; Fig. 3 is a somewhat enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. l.

In the drawings 1 represents the body of the bloomer, which we prefer to make of warp knitted flat silk piece goods cut to shape and properly sewed or united together to form the garment. 2 is the usual waist band, which may be equipped with elastic or draw string, or otherwise, as preferred. 3 is our improved crotch insert. It is made of warp knitted fabric and of a peculiar shape, that isto say, each insert is made of two substantially identical and continuous parts, both of crescent shape, as shown best in Fig. 2, and the material of which they are made is so cut that the warp threads 4, a, run in vertical directions, 2'. e., at right angles to the direction in which the strains are exerted upon separating the limbs of the wearer, so that the maximum elasticity of the fabric is availed of for expansion, and the construction embodies not only the foregoing features, but likewise, owing to the fact that the upper edges 6 of the two parts of the insert are cut on the arc of a circle and that the lower edges 7 are likewise crescent shaped, so that the lower lateral extremities, if brought up into a straight line horizontal with the central portion, would result in materially increasing the straight line length of the lower edge without effecting any distention whatever of the insert piece itself, and should further expansion be desired, owing to the fact that the material is practically bias along that edge, the utmost possible extension may be secured without exerting any undue strain upon the insert or the garment. It will of course be understood that the lower edges of the front and rear insert pieces are stitched together as indicated at 7 in Fig. 2/ r In addition to the foregoing, it will be noted that since the purpose of our invention is to permit great elasticity in horizontal directions, there being no occasion for elasticity in vertical directions, since bloomers are yieldingly supported from the waist only, that each of our insert pieces extends laterally more than twice as far as it extends yertically, and furthermore that its length, in other words, the amount of elastic material present, increases from above downwardly, just as the degree of strain, in

other words, the extension of the limbs of the wearer, increases from above downwardly. Our invention is peculiarly efli-- cient as an improvement in garments of this class because in a manner never before attained, as we believe, the insert, owing to its peculiar construction, efiiciently meets all demands which may be made upon it.

As stated above, our insert is composed of two crescent shaped pieces, one for the front and one for the back. They are both continuous without anyopening, thus makinga closed crotch. We prefer that. both of thembe doubled or reinforced as shown in Fig. 3. This, however, is not essential.

W'hether doubled or single, the front and rear pieces are, as stated, stitched together at their meeting edges 7 and each insert piece is continuous throughout its area, without seams, either vertical or horizontal. The front and rear insert pieces are stitched to the garment along the edges 6, as shown, the body of the garment'having been first appropriately shaped to receive them.

We call particular attention to the fact that the stitches 7 uniting the lower edges 7 of thefront and back insert pieces, do not interfere with the elasticity, because as is usual in making such seams along bias material sufficient slack is left in the stitches, so

that during the stretching of the fabric-the nsamoo stitches will simply separate slightly and upon the release of the stretch will automatically return to normal position.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with such matters that modifications may be made in the details of the construction above described and illustrated and yet the essentials of our invention be retained.

We claim:

1. In a garment supported solely from the waist of the wearer, a front and rear closed crotch insert formed of two crescent shaped pieces of warp knitted fabric united at their lower edges and s0 combined with the garment that their greatest elasticity is in lateral directions.

2. In a garment supported solely from the waist ofthe wearer, a front and rear closed crotch insert formed of two cresecent shaped garment that their greatest elasticity is in lateral directions.

3. In a garment supported solely from the waist of the wearer, a' front and rear closed crotch insert formed of two crescent shaped pieces of warp knitted fabric, each having substantially the same vertical extension and each being at least twice as long as wide, and united at theirlower edges and so combined with the garment that their greatest elasticity is in lateral directions.

i 4. In a garment supported solely from the waist of the wearer, a frontand rear closed crotch insert formed of two crescent shaped pieces of warp knitted fabric, each having greater length than width and gradually increasing from their upper part to their lower 'edges, and united at their lower edges, and

so combined with the garment that their greatest elasticity is in lateral directions.

5. In a garment supported solely from the waist of the wearer, a front and rear closed crotch insert formed of two substantially identical crescent shaped pieces of warp knitted fabric united at their lower edges and socombined with the garment that their greatest elasticity is in lateral directions, each of the pieces being at least twice as long as wide and gradually increasing in length from their upper part to their lower edges. I

In-testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

1 ELLEN W. DECKER.

ARTHUR SCOTT. 

